This shelf was a bit of a headache! First, they don't give a life size template. They do tell you the measurements of where to drill the holes so we measured and marked that all on our own but then the shelf wasn't level or secure! We realized the measurements were not quite accurate. So we ended up making our own template based off the measurements, comparing it to the actual shelf, and then RE-drilling holes to match. Once we had destroyed our wall in a few places, it was time to hang the shelf. That's the next disappointing part. The places where the screws were supposed to slide into weren't fitting the screws! We needed to loosen the brackets in order for the screws to slide in and now the shelf isn't flush with the wall. It's pretty and I still like it, but it they need to improve the directions and measurements for sure.